


And Then We Had Chips

by orphan_account



Series: 12 Days of Ficlets [8]
Category: Doctor Who
Genre: F/M, Fluff, High School AU, Tenrose high school au, gymnast!rose
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-20
Updated: 2014-12-20
Packaged: 2018-03-05 00:22:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3098054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John Smith comes to the gym for the blaring Britney Spears music and stays for the gorgeous gymnast named Rose Tyler.</p>
            </blockquote>





	And Then We Had Chips

**Author's Note:**

> Written for my 12 Days of Ficlets over on tumblr (my URL is i-am-superwhomarvellocked if you'd like to check me out) and prompted by hidinginpandorasbox, who wanted a high school ten/rose AU.

The blond girl with her hair in two braids bounced on the balls of her feet, breathed deeply, and threw herself into a backflip. Her form and landing were perfect, and he caught the flash of a smile on her face before she composed herself and continued her practice.   
John Smith had been walking past the gym while waiting for his soccer practice to start when he heard Britney Spears playing. Loudly. And one doesn't just walk past a gym blaring Britney Spears without at least checking to see what's going on inside.   
He'd gotten a bit more than he'd bargained for. There was a single girl wearing a light pink leotard inside the gym with a couple of wrestling mats, the balance beam, and the parallel bars out. As he'd glanced in the gym, she'd flung herself over the bars and flipped in an intricate pattern, and he was hooked.   
Yes, it was a little creepy, but watching her was like watching art in motion. She seemed so...carefree, yet determined, like there was nothing in the world that she was afraid of and nothing that could stop her. Her lithe body twisted through a series of steps, bending and arching and folding in ways that didn't look possible, and John watched her, hypnotized.   
The girl exhaled quickly and went through one last roundoff, switched off the music, then grabbed her water-bottle and turned around. She saw John and went through so many different expressions that he couldn't count them all before settling on happy and slightly surprised.   
"Hey," she said. "What're you doing here?"  
"Well, I've got a soccer practice that's starting in just about-" he checked his watch "-just about five minutes, and I happened to hear your music, so I thought I'd take a look." He became aware of the fact that he was blushing, and tried to lean casually against the bleachers, which clearly weren't set up properly. They began to slide backwards, and he stumbled, but recovered quickly.   
"Are you from Tennessee?" The girl's expression was genuinely curious, her big brown eyes open wide, and he was confused for a moment.   
"...No?"  
A smirk lit up her face. "Because you're the only ten I see."  
John snorted in a completely undignified way and extended his hand. "John Smith."  
She shook his hand firmly and took a swig of her water. "Rose Tyler." Rose grabbed a hoodie and jeans from the ground beside the bars and tugged them on, the hoodie catching briefly on her head. He reached forward and pulled it down, which left them uncomfortably close together. She bit her lip invitingly; he stepped back obliviously. Rose sighed and turned around again to grab her chalk.   
"Aren't you in my English class, Mr. Smith?"  
"I do believe so, Miss Tyler," he said, noticing the way her eyes crinkled when she smiled. "How are you enjoying our current novel?"  
"Oh, I'm a huge Dickens fan," she said, dropping the faux-aristocratic accent. "He's amazing-- beautifully developed characters and the scenery is just lovely."  
"That's exactly what I think! Who's your favorite character?"  
"Sydney Carton..." They sat down onto the bleachers and talked about books for a good fifteen minutes.  
"Yes, but have you ever read 'The Book Thief?" Rose was asking when John glanced at his watch and groaned. "I'm going to be late for practice." He stood up and Rose followed him.   
"Ten--do you mind if I call you Ten?"  
"No," he answered.   
"I'm going to come watch you practice. Seems only fair, doesn't it?" She grinned as they made their way out of the gym and back into the school hallways.   
"In my defense, you're extremely talented."  
She smiled back. "I only hope the judges think the same at the competition next week. My usual practice area over at Tara's got flooded, so I'm using the gym for a while."  
"Well, if I believe in one thing, just one thing...I believe in you winning that competition."  
Rose rolled her eyes and shoved him. "That was so ridiculous."  
"No, but I mean it." He turned to face her solemnly. "Rose Tyler, I know I've only just met you, but I believe in you. Now and forever."  
It was her turn to blush, and she ducked her head and murmured, "That's really lovely. Thank you."  
They walked in silence for a few minutes, then came to another set of doors. John stopped for a minute to rearrange his duffel bag, and Rose glanced up mock-innocently. "Oh, Ten," she sing-songed, "that does appear to be some mistletoe above us."   
He flushed dark red and backed up slightly. "Oh no, I couldn't possibly..."  
She flung her arms around his neck and crashed her lips against his, pressing into his mouth. He tasted like freshly baked cookies and bananas and something sharper --nutmeg?-- and when she pulled away, she grinned at the sight of John all rumpled and dazed and pleased, then pulled him in again.   
John did not make it to practice. 

(Two Years Later)  
Rose's eyes crinkled with a smile. "Do you remember the first day we met?"  
"Yes, of course," John said. They were on a couch in his dorm during their first year of college watching Christmas movies together.   
"That was our first date."  
John pulled away from her gently, laughing, and looked her in the eye. "I watched you practice, then you snogged me under some mistletoe. And then we had chips."  
"Exactly," Rose said, snuggling up to him again and sighing. "It was perfect."  
He laughed again. "It was confusing and terrifying and desperately sexy."  
She winked at him. "The best things always are."


End file.
